Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired third meeting of the provincial cabinet at CM’s office, here on Tuesday.
The cabinet ratified the approval of annual budget and supplementary budget grant for the year 2023-24. The approval to hand over Lahore Knowledge Park to Punjab Central Business District Development Authority was also given by the cabinet. The land will be transferred to CBD to build Pakistan’s largest IT city. The CM said that the Pakistan’s first IT city is being built in Lahore, adding that tech giants like Google and Microsoft have already shown their interests in the IT City. The CM directed to complete both towers of IT City in one year. CM Maryam Nawaz highlighted that the world’s major educational institutions will be invited to build campuses in the Knowledge City, saying that there will be a Film City too. The cabinet also approved project for the supply of 20,000 petrol and electric bikes by the Bank of Punjab. The CM said electric bikes are essential to reduce environmental pollution but are currently not that much viable due to risk of battery theft and low mileage. Therefore, It has been decided to give petrol bikes along with electric bikes. To reduce burden on students, the down payment will be reduced to Rs 25,000 and the monthly installment will also be less than Rs 5,000, she mentioned. The distribution of bikes will start in May this year, she said and added that a separate scheme will be introduced to give bikes to students who have achieved significant success in examinations.
The cabinet also gave in-principle approval for the extension of posting on deputation of CEO Punjab Transport Company. Approval was also made for provincial representation of Punjab in the Council of Common Interest Secretariat. The approval for the transfer of Government of Punjab’s Grade 19 Vacancy in Council of Common Interests Secretariat Islamabad was also granted. Punjab Air Ambulance Project was also discussed in the meeting. The CM said all facilities are available for the rich and the influential people, but nothing to save life of a poor man. She added, we want to provide every facility of timely treatment to our people.” She lamented that it is unfortunate that Sargodha does not have adequate facilities for the treatment and transfer of heart attack patients, adding that sitting in offices, it seems that air ambulance is not needed, but it is needed, because Rescue 1122 received 11 hundred calls for air ambulance in emergencies. Maryam Nawaz highlighted that in Lahore PIC Emergency, heart attack patients arrived from distant areas within 8 hours. Therefore, Air Ambulance Project is very much needed, but it will be rolled out on trial basis in the first phase. We should feel pain for the poor. How sad it was that sanitary workers lost their lives in Faisalabad due to lack of safety kits she said. The cabinet also gave in principle approval to reduce the number of law officers in Punjab to 66 after following a strict performance-based criteria. I have not recommended anyone. She added that corruption, political affiliation and incompetence will not be tolerated in government service. Provincial ministers, Chief Secretary, IGP, secretaries and other senior officers attended the meeting.
